How to get involved

• Charity Auctions. Add an auction onto your coffee morning or dinner dance. It will always be profitable. For further help see http://www.ideasfundraising.co.uk/organise-charity-auction.html.
• Auction of promises. Ask friends and family to promise to do something they wouldn’t normally do (Hoover, cut their hair etc), then hold and auction to buy the promise. See charity auction advice above.
• Charity BBQ. The summer is the ideal time to hold a charity BBQ and charge a modest entry fee.
• Jumble sales. An old favourite.
• Quiz night and auction. Run a quiz night for your friends with a fish and chip supper and hold a raffle with donated prizes – it’s the raffle that will make the money! But check out the rules above for auctions – it’s the law.
• Smarties Tube. Give your friends a Smarties tube and ask them to fill it with pound coins donated by their friends.
• Dinner Dance / Barn dance. For the more ambitious – remember the museum can help with setting up costs but it will be vital to make a profit.
• Coffee Mornings/ Curry Nights. Old favourites. If you want help with posters, banners etc, the museum can help.
• Sweets in the Jar/ Guess the Weight. Very little work required – just set it up and watch the money roll in!

Sponsored Events

A great way to raise money is through sponsored events. Here are some tips on getting the most out of sponsored events.

Asking for sponsorship

Following these basic principles will increase your success rate when you are asking for sponsorship

• Give potential sponsors the details – exactly what the Appeal is about and if you are participating in an event, what you will be doing, when and where.
• Be clear about what you are raising funds for – provide the facts about what the Appeal is for and what the Museum is trying to do.
• Offer potential sponsors good reasons to part with their money – how might it be used and the benefits it will bring.
• Offer news and photos after the event so they can share the progress of the project – the Museum will be able to provide these if you provide contact details.
• If asking for sponsorship by e-mail or letter, take a moment to re read it and make sure it is mistake free.
• Don’t be shy. If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Finance and Setting Up Funds

All monies raised must be sent to the Finance Department, Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Haslar Jetty Road, Gosport, PO12 2AS.  Cheques should be paid to RN Submarine Museum – Alliance.

If an event your are organising need some funds in order to be set up such as a deposit on a venue that you want to hire or to pay for drinks before you sell them etc, the ALLIANCE Appeal Fund can help. Up to £500 can be made available for this purpose. Of course, the money will need to be returned once the event is completed and the cash collected.

What is it?  Gift Aid is tax relief on money donated by to UK charities. It entitles charities to reclaim 25% from HM Revenue and Customs on every pound raised at no extra cost to you or the person making the donation. Hence if a donation of £10 is made, the ALLIANCE Appeal will actually receive £12.80.

To qualify for Gift Aid on their donation, a donor must: 

• Declare that they are a tax payer on any sponsorship form
• Provide their name and address, including their postcode.

Please note that HMRC do not allow Gift Aid claims by individuals that are related by birth or marriage to the person doing a sponsored event. Also, Gift Aid cannot be reclaimed from commercial companies except where they are sole traders. More details on Gift Aid can be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingMoney/GivingMoneyToCharity/DG_078490

Download an Alliance Appeal Donation Form

VAT

VAT does not apply to most fundraising events but to in order to prove exemption, you will need to keep some records. Details of what you have to do can be found at http://www.ideasfundraising.co.uk/vat-fundraising.html.

Keeping Your Event Safe

• You must comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and all other relevant subordinate legislation.
• Make sure that no-one is fundraising, working or spectating in an unsafe environment. Assess the risks involved and make sure that they are eliminated or minimised to an acceptable level.  Remember that the Health and Safety Act applies to volunteers as well as employees. Download a simple Risk Assessment Form.
• The ALLIANCE Appeal cannot accept responsibility for accidents, so make sure that your event is safe for all concerned.
• Depending on the nature of the event, it may be advisable to take out Public Liability Insurance. In some cases the Submarine Museum’s own Public Liability Insurance may be able to cover your event. To find out more about this please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 023 92545034. 
• If you are going to be carrying money around take care with personal security. Always use a safe route and always be accompanied and/or carry a personal alarm.
• If contractors, sub contractors or external facilities are used, make sure they have the relevant experience and can demonstrate compliance with insurance and health & safety standards.
• Always ensure that children are safe and that you do not allow them to solicit money or collect money alone or without an adult.

Keeping Your Event Legal

Lotteries, Raffles or Prize Draws

When running an incidental, non-commercial lottery, you will be exempt from many of the rules and regulations governing other types of lotteries. However, although the rules are less strict, the Gambling Act 2005 still applies and you should seek guidance if necessary.

When organising an incidental lottery, consider the following rules:

• All lottery tickets must be sold at the event, with all participants present
• You cannot offer more than £250 in prizes, even if prizes have been donated
• You cannot offer cash prizes
• You cannot conduct a “roll-over” lottery of any type

By adhering to these rules, the process of running an incidental non-commercial lottery is actually made a lot simpler. You will need to print or buy ticket books, collect prizes and choose your ticket price ahead of time. Then, on the day of your event, you can move around the room and sell tickets to interested parties.

The best way to conduct a lottery as part of another fundraising activity is to leave the prize draw until the end of the event. This way, not only will you have more time to sell tickets, but people will also stay to see if they've won, giving you more time to fundraise with other activities too!

Four Steps to a Successful Lottery, Raffle or Prize Draw

• Printing tickets or buying ticket books
• Procuring prizes
• Promoting the lottery and selling tickets
• Running the lottery

Once you have cleared the legislative hurdles, these steps are easy to perform and are likely to result in a fair amount of money raised for your charitable cause. By making yourself aware of current legislation and keeping your plans organised, you are well on your way to a successful lottery, prize draw or raffle.